THE MAYOR interviews with Bernard David Jones and Marcel Spears

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I have to send a huge thank you to ABC TV and Disney for bringing me to LA and giving me the opportunity to interview Bernard David Jones and Marcel Spears who star in THE MAYOR! This new comedy from ABC is a must watch for the entire family! “THE MAYOR” airs Tuesdays at 9:30/8:30c on ABC! Make sure and tune in tonight!

The first thing that struck me during this interview was the excitement that emanated from both Bernard and Marcel. They greeted us with huge smiles when we walked into the conference room and hugged us and said hello. They were so excited to share their passion and excitement for THE MAYOR! They are both humble and joyful in their love for this show.

We had the opportunity to watch the upcoming episode The Fillibuster with Bernard and Marcel in the room. It was so fun seeing their response to the show. It was the first time they had seen the full episode so it was fun seeing them see which takes made the show. They were so excited to hear us giggle and laugh throughout the episode.

While talking with them the thing that struck me was how much they talked about the cast being a family. They said that they are Lea Michele’s new brothers and make sure that she is well taken care of. That the entire cast is amazing and a true family together.

Photo credit – Alison Waken/ For the Boys

There was so much joy in the room during our interview.

During the interview, I was so impressed with the time they took to answer the questions and how much it meant to them to share their passion for the show and also their roles as actors.

It didn’t take us long to dive into the questions that we all have been wondering…

Q. How do you feel about taking on a politically flavored show at this time in our country’s climate?

Bernard: I was gonna just say, as artists, it’s kind of our duty, our job to be able to hold a mirror up to our country, our world and say, this is what’s going on. How do we fix it? What can we do to fix it? And I think our show is an awesome representation of what happens when somebody that has a heart for people, that understands community and unity, leads with love. How that can affect a community and you know, this guy, he has no political experience. He didn’t mean to win. He was doing what millennials do: trying to get some of that ka-ching.

But he didn’t stray away from the responsibility. He took it head on and I think that’s a good lesson for all of us. You know, all of America. If there’s something going in your neighborhood that you want to change, take leadership. Take ownership of your community, so I think it’s a great opportunity to be able to be some type of maybe a catalyst for mobility or, in your communities for some type of change.

Marcel: Yeah, I agree. It’s an opportunity for us as artists to provoke change and to inspire people and the thing is, when I was kid, people wanted to be the President – even if you didn’t want to be the President, that was the go-to answer if a teacher or somebody asked you and you want to give the answer that’s going to make your mom go, “Awww!” It was like, “I want to be the President of the United States of America.” You say that and people are like, aw, yeah, it can happen for you, kid.

And politics was a thing that you didn’t shy away from. Like, it’s always been a topic that you don’t talk about at dinner, but it’s something that people weren’t afraid of and now, I feel like people are so exhausted with it because you have to pick a side, pick a side, pick a side and it’s become so divided that we forgot that it’s a part of what makes this country great and I feel like us doing the show gives us a chance, in a fun way, in an approachable way to really talk about politics in a way that I feel like can reach people so that people aren’t afraid of politics anymore.

So that people aren’t exhausted with it so much and they can really get down to what it’s about and what it’s about is taking care of the people around you. Like, really taking care of your community and making sure that you’re looking out for the next person. Whether you disagree on how to go about doing that, the end goal is always the betterment of the community.

Bernard: And I think what’s also special about our show is that we come from a non-partisan standpoint, so there’s no, “you have to be a Democrat” or “you have to be a Republican.” We don’t choose sides. We present what’s going on these communities and we offer solutions on how to fix it.

Q: Is this going to stay a family-friendly show?

Bernard: It’s definitely a family show and I think that’s what’s important about our show and is special is that you can gather the family together, sit down and watch a show and then maybe discuss some of the issues that are happening. I know a lot of you guys have kids if not all of you, so it’s those issues like going to a music program and saying hey, my kid is a part of that and it works well for him or we need to keep that or just having a safe space for children in our episodes I think is amazing…and it has been very family oriented, but we do talk about real stuff and we don’t shy away from the real stuff. But we do it in a way that’s, I think copasetic to a family environment.

Marcel: Yeah, this is one of those shows that you can sit down as a family and watch. It’s one of those shoes that your kids can grow into like, they watch an episode now, they don’t catch everything. They watch it again when they’re a little older and, and they see things that they never understood or didn’t comprehend. It’s definitely something that I feel like because of the design of it and because of the nature of the show, it’s something that can reach everybody in some kind of way.

Bernard: And I love that Jeremy created these characters that kids can look up to. They can aspire to be the Mayor or, you know, Director of Communications. Some may not even know what that is. They may go home and Google, what is Director of Communications? I can do something like that? That’s cool. So I think to Jeremy’s testament, that is an amazing thing that he did was create these characters that grown-ups can laugh at. You can catch the grown-up jokes and then the kids can look and aspire to be those guys.

“THE MAYOR” airs Tuesdays at 9:30/8:30c on ABC!

What I love about THE MAYOR is the show addresses things that are happening in real life in our communities and shows us each how we can make an impact in our community. Sure we might now all be a young guy who wins a mayoral election but we can all do small things that turn into big impacts for our area.

This is a must watch show for the entire family!!!

Here is what you need to know about tonights 10/17 episode!

COURTNEY’S APPROVAL RATING TAKES A HIT WHICH MAKES HIM REALIZE HE WILL NEED TO WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER WHEN IT COMES TO DIRTY POLITICS,
ON ABC’S ‘THE MAYOR’

“Buyer’s Remorse” – As Courtney settles into his new role as mayor, he’s faced with a dismal approval rating as the citizens of Fort Grey express their lack of confidence in his ability to lead, as well as those on his own staff. He realizes that he needs to take an unconventional approach when dealing with Councilman Ed Gunt (David Spade) and comes up with a plan to quickly turn public opinion in his favor, on “The Mayor,” TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17 (9:30-10:00 p.m. EDT).

THE MAYOR (Tuesdays at 9:30/8:30c on ABC)

https://www.facebook.com/TheMayorABC/

https://twitter.com/TheMayorABC (#TheMayor)

https://www.instagram.com/themayorabc/

http://abc.go.com/shows/the-mayor

Also check out

BERNARD DAVID JONES (“Jermaine Leforge”)

https://twitter.com/BernardDJones

https://www.instagram.com/bernarddavidjones/

MARCEL SPEARS (“T.K. Clifton”)

https://twitter.com/mrmarcelspears

https://www.instagram.com/mrmarcelspears/

THE MAYOR

Young rapper Courtney Rose (Brandon Micheal Hall) needs his big break. For years, he’s toiled away in a small inner-city apartment, making music in his junk-filled bedroom closet. Tired of waiting for an opportunity to knock, Courtney cooks up the publicity stunt of the century – running for mayor of his California hometown, Fort Grey, to generate buzz for his music career. But his master plan goes wildly awry, ending in the most terrifying of outcomes: an election victory.

Courtney’s charisma and outspoken optimism are what helped him get elected as the Mayor, but even though he’s an outsider when it comes to politics, he will find that he’s actually good at it. Courtney has smarts, swagger, and creativity, but has never worked a full-time job in his life. Luckily for him, he has the right people around him to shepherd his growth, both as a person and a politician.

His biggest fan is his mom, Dina Rose (Yvette Nicole Brown), who will be there to keep a watchful eye on him and his administration, and is always ready to set him straight if need be. She’s a loving mother not only to Courtney but to his best friends as well. His questionably qualified buddies, Jermaine Leforge (Bernard David Jones) the smooth operator, and T.K Clifton (Marcel Spears) the sensitive sweetheart, will serve as his two unconventional political aides.

Valentina Barella (Lea Michele) initially was the campaign manager for the losing mayoral candidate, Ed Gunt (David Spade), but changes sides and offers to join Courtney as his chief of staff when she realizes he truly wants to make a difference in his community. Valentina’s no-nonsense, straight-laced ways assure him that things will turn out for the best, because she will not settle for anything less than perfect.

As Courtney begins his new journey into the unpredictable world of politics, his mother and best friends, including Valentina, will be completely dedicated to help him succeed. He’ll have to learn what it means to be responsible for others while learning what it means to be responsible for himself.

The series stars Brandon Micheal Hall as Courtney Rose, Lea Michele as Valentina Barella, Bernard David Jones as Jermaine Leforge, Marcel Spears as T.K. Clifton and Yvette Nicole Brown as Dina Rose.

Recurring guest star David Spade as Ed Gunt.

Executive producers of the series are Daveed Diggs, Jeremy Bronson, Jamie Tarses and James Griffiths. “The Mayor” is produced by ABC Studios.

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